These artistic greats set the gold standard for American talent and taste.

Marsalis

Marsalis

Jazz is their business, and they've monopolized it. Pianist Ellis Jr. — son of Ellis Sr., a civil rights activist — confines his efforts mostly to teaching in his native New Orleans, but his four musical children (out of six) barnstorm far and wide. Wynton (trumpet) is artistic and managing director of Jazz at Lincoln Center and a fixture on PBS and NPR; Branford (saxophone) is a former Tonight Show bandleader; Delfeayo (trombone) produces records; and Jason (drums and vibes) is a respected sideman. Wynton supports Music for Tomorrow, while Branford promotes the Robin Hood foundation and started the Musicians' Village — part of the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity's post-Katrina efforts — with fellow musician and New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr. Together the family received a 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award.

Ellis Marsalis Jr. with son Wynton, backstage at the Blue Note jazz club in New York City, 1990.

Coppola

Coppola

Francis, the paterfamilias, director, and California vintner who will forever be known for the operatic Godfather trilogy, has recently returned to independent filmmaking. His daughter Sofia directed and won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Lost in Translation; his son Roman, who was recently nominated for an Oscar, has directed music videos for the Strokes and regularly collaborates with Wes Anderson; and his nephew Jason Schwartzman starred in HBO's Bored to Death. Nicolas Cage, another nephew, is an Oscar-winning actor with a taste for Elvis memorabilia and European castles.

Francis Ford Coppola with his wife Eleanor and children Sofia, Gian-Carlo, and Roman, in San Francisco, 1972.